Kuwait and Bahrain call for strong GCC cooperation and coordination

Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa arrived in Kuwait on Sunday on a one day visit to hold talks with authorities amidst the rising insecurity in the region. His visit will focus on strengthening cooperation and coordination between them as part of members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) striving to overcome the current political, economic and security challenges. He had a close door session with Kuwait’s Emir Shaikh Sabah.

Both Kuwait and Bahrain have agreed that the GCC needs to boost cooperation between its members especially in their ambitions to quell security threats. In 2011, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia proposed for the GCC to become a union in order to adequately face the region’s eminent challenges. Although the idea has received little feedback, Kuwait and Bahrain think that it is time for an active pursuit by all countries for a common goal in the interest of stability.

The media in the Gulf also plays an important role in maintaining friendly ties between the countries. Prince Khalifa stated that countries need to adhere to media agreements between them in order to deprive any antagonistic media the chance to undermine the historic agreement that led to the creation of the GCC in 1981. Qatar is often accused of using the Al Jazeera network as a propaganda tool in the Middle East. Khalifa urged the countries to promote collective interests rather than individual interest.

The organization had its worst multilateral crises last year when Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates decided to withdraw their ambassadors from Qatar whom they accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and interference into internal affairs of other states. The standoff was later solved by Riyadh. Qatar has never admitted the allegations.